Darrelle Revis wants to play football for an NFL team in 2017. He wants to resurrect what’s left of his career, after turning into an old, overweight, receiver-friendly cornerback last season with the Jets.

Instead of avoiding Revis Island last season, opposing quarterbacks would often look in his direction to make plays. It was a far cry from the seven-time Pro Bowler who had made receivers invisible during his previous nine seasons in the league.

With the Patriots possibly needing another cornerback, the notion of Revis returning to Foxboro became a hot debate topic last week once criminal charges against him were dismissed Wednesday stemming from an altercation that occurred on a Pittsburgh street last month.

When it comes to a Revis encore with the Super Bowl champs, it’s really a two-sided issue. Would the veteran cornerback, who won a ring with the Patriots during the 2014 season, want to return, and work that hard again, knowing what’s expected in Foxboro? More importantly, would the Patriots even want him back, especially after watching that mammoth drop-off in performance last season?

Let’s take it from the Revis side first. After walking out of the courtroom Wednesday, Revis claimed he had lost 10 pounds, hired a new trainer, and was “excited” for the 2017 season after being dumped by the Jets, who basically decided that eating the remainder of his contract was better than keeping him in their secondary.

That’s left Revis a free agent, but not so free given the legal entanglement was finally cleared up. Revis might still face league sanctions, but the worst appears behind him.